America divided

I keep getting in this same fight with people who say "we've never been more divided." 

I point out that America has always been divided - did you see "Hamilton"? Do you know anything about the labor movement in this country? What about the 1960s? And we had a civil war that lasted EIGHT YEARS - more Americans died in that conflict than any other war Americans have been involved in.

Plus, that is an incredibly privileged observation - if you are Black, or Latino, or indigenous, you've experienced division in this country all along.

And the idea that we are in information bubbles also requires scrutiny. Cable news, social media, and the internet have allowed us to select our information sources, but white Americans have always been in an information bubble! In reality, we now have easy access, more than ever before, to alternate points of view.

Anand Giridharadas just posted a terrific short essay "This is a revolt against the future" that reminds us to keep fighting and keep looking forward.